Toothbrush with a flexible head



Sept. 1, 1953 L. R. BRESSLER TOOTHBRUSH WITH A FLEXIBLE HEAD Filed March 7, 1952 q wh AN. .w

INVEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 1, i953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOOTHBRUSH WITH A FLEXIBLE HEAD Louis B. Bressler, Southampton, Mass.

Application March 7, 1952, Serial No. 275,345

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in toothbrushes and is directed more particularly to toothbrushes having relatively flexible bristle carrying sections.

The principal objects of this invention are the provision of a toothbrush wherein bristle carrying head sections are flexibly associated so that in brushing the teeth bristles conform to the contour of the teeth thereby entering the spaces between the teeth for proper cleaning action.

Heretofore toothbrushes have been made Where the bristle supporting head has included a plurality of bristle carrying sections connected by metal springs for relative flexing of the sections. Such brushes have not been satisfactory and are objectionable for numerous reasons. There is a fault bond between the metal spring and plastic of the head sections, and the metal is subject to corrosion, as well as subject to fatigue. Furthermore, the metal sets so as to rupture with normal use and the tufts of bristles are not properly secured in the sections because the securing means, usually comprising staples, may not extend into the plastic material to the required depth. That is, the staples cannot extend through the metal spring which results in inadequate bristle securement.

According to this invention, a toothbrush construction'is provided having a head end which is formed by bristle sections flexibly connected by a non-metallic spring member formed from plastic such as nylon.

Such a construction overcomes the difficulties experienced with prior art brushes and has many advantages thereover in that the plastic spring member is adequately bonded to the bristle sections molded therearound, is resistant to corrosion, and has a much longer life than a metallic spring in that it is capable of many times the flexing movements of a metal spring and the staples may impinge or extend through the nylon spring thereby to more securely unite the bristle tufts with the head section.

All of the above objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangements of parts thereof, as will fully appear by a perusal of the description below and by various specific features which will be hereinafter set forth.

To the above cited and other ends and with the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figs. 1 and 2 are plan and side elevational views of a toothbrush embodying the novel features of the invention;

Figs. 3 and 4 are plan and edge views of the resilient member of the toothbrush shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional elevational view through the toothbrush shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

A toothbrush is indicated generally by 2 and has a handle 4 and a bristle supporting head 6.

The head 6 of the toothbrush includes an outer end section 8, intermediate sections l0 and a handle section I2.

The toothbrush Will preferably be formed from suitable plastic material by a molding operation and a longitudinal resilient flat spring-like member I4 will be molded in sections forming the head.

The member [4 for the molding operation will be placed in the mold as is common in molding operations and will be shaped to extend in and through the intermediate sections with its opposite ends extending into the sections 8 and I2.

The resilient member 14 according to the invention will be an elongated strip of plastic material such as nylon and will be relatively thin.

Said member It may have openings [6 in opposite ends thereof and will have notches I8 along opposite longitudinal edges thereof, more or less separating its length into sections 20, 22 and 24 correspondin to the sections 8, l0 and 12 of the toothbrush head 6.

The molding operation and arrangement of the member It will be such that the notches I8 will correspond with narrow transverse spaces 26 between the sections of the head. In this way the member [4 has a transverse width somewhat less than the adjacent sections 8, I0 and I2. These narrow portions between notches provide flexibility to the member I4 at the spaces between the head sections.

The member It being formed from such plastic material has great flexibility and strength so that the head sections are relatively movable.

As disinguished from a metallic member I 4, the plastic provides greatly increased flexibility without rupture. A brush head incorporating a steel resilient member has a much shorter life than where the nylon member is used. From very 3 many tests on the same machine for flexing the head sections, steel resilient members have been found to set and rupture in 300,000 to 400,000 flexes while with the resilient members of this invention there have been no ruptures in 3,000,000 flexes.

Furthermore, the resilient member of this invention does not corrode during use of the toothbrush, there is no tendency for it to set from constant useeand stapling may extend through the resilient member. With metallic resilient member stapling may not impinge or pass therethrough so that according to the invention it is possible to more securely fix the tufts of loristles in the head and the bond between the plastic resilient member is far superior to that-possible" between plastic and metal. a

In some manufacturing procedures, sockets for bristle tufts are provided in the molding operation. In others, sockets are formed in the molded toothbrush.

The'bristletuftsare secured in;the sockets ordinarily by small ,wire staples which engage intermediate portionstof the bristles and are driven or pressed into'theplastic atthe bottoms of the sockets.

According to this invention, sockets extending to the resilient member 5114 may :be provided in the moldingoperation or :they may be formed by drilling the molded toothbrush and if desired the drilling may extend v.thrbugh the member it which would be impracticable were the resilient membermadefrom springmetal.

Fig. 5 illustrates oneform of staple 28 holding the :bristles all {Of --a :tu ft :32. This staple formed fromsmallsize-wire extends-through the resilient: member H1 .intozithe bristle sections and securely anchors the .tuftin :place.

It is stated that the resilient=member may be formedfrom nylon. :Nylon is the generic name for materials defined-as synthetic fibereforming polymeric amides having proteinlike chemical structure derived zfrom coal, air and water, or other substances and characterized by extreme toughness and strength. Nylon has superior flexibility, possesses great strength, resists fatiguerbyxflexingr-as .well as corrosion, and bristle stapling 'may :extend rtherethrough without impairing-itsdesirable:characteristics. It will be understood :that plastic material not only includes nylon but vothertypes of plastics which have the importantichai acteristics mentioned.

The-invention may be embodied in other specific iorms withoutdeparting from the essentialcharacteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to'beconsidered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claimand secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesiis:

1. A brush construction of the type wherein bristle carrying sections are connected by a resilient member for relative flexing movements comprisingin combination, opposite end sections and a plurality of intermediate sections therebetween ofplastic material molded about an elongated relativelythin resilient member having opposite ends in said end sections and an intermediate portion extending through said plurality of intermediate sections, and tufts of bristles secured to said sections by staples extending through said resilient member .and being anchored in the upper portions :of saidsections.

2. A brush construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein said resilientmember is;formed. from nylon.

3. A toothbrush having a flexible 'headcomprising, an elongatedshandleandea sectionalized head atone end thereof enclosing a resilient member, said head including; an inner head section integral withanend ofsaid handle'andan outer head section and a plurality of .interme diate head sections therebetween,.-said resilient member comprising .a strip .of resilient plastic having opposite endsdisposed inthe innerland outer head sectionsand having an intermediate portion extending through said intermediateesections, and transversely spaced-rows of longitudi nally spaced tufts of bristles'secured to said sections by staples'extending'through said resilient member andbeingianchoredin the upper portions of said sections.

:LQUIS R. BRE'SSLER.

References Cited inlthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,466,723 Izaw-a Sept. 4, 1923 1,919,010 Connor July 18, 1933 1,928,328 Carpentier Sept. 26, 1935 2,254,365 Grihith et a1. -Sept.f2, 1-341 FOREIGN PATENTS Number 7 Country Date 809,749 France Dec. 12, 1936 

